Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator. A former aide to Margaret Thatcher, Gardiner has served as a foreign policy adviser to two US presidential campaigns. He appears frequently on American and British television, including Fox News Channel, BBC, and Fox Business Network.

George W. Bush – a humble and honourable president who understood the importance of freedom

A great speech today by former President George W. Bush, with a firm emphasis on the principles of freedom, both at home and abroad. Unfortunately, freedom is a word which doesn’t feature very prominently in the lexicon of today’s US administration, with its obsession with big government and the growing role of the State, as well as a propensity to appease dictatorial regimes on the world stage and ignore the plight of political dissidents in places like Iran. In Bush’s words:

My deepest conviction, the guiding principle of the administration, is that the United States of America must strive to expand the reach of freedom. I believe that freedom is a gift from God and the hope of every human heart. Freedom inspired our founders and preserved our union through civil war and secured the promise of civil rights.

Freedom sustains dissidents bound by chains, believers huddled in underground churches and voters who risk their lives to cast their ballots. Freedom unleashes creativity, rewards innovation and replaces poverty with prosperity. And ultimately, freedom lights the path to peace.

Bush unveiled his new Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, at a ceremony attended by all five living US presidents as well as 15,000 guests. President Obama even delivered a tribute to his predecessor, praising his leadership in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. Obama was also joined by Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, Obama, ever the campaigner, could not resist using the moment to pitch his controversial immigration proposals, deeply unpopular with most conservatives.

President Bush has kept a low profile since leaving office in 2009, but remains very much in the hearts of millions of Americans. Often derided by historians, and usually perceived as one of the least popular US presidents in modern American history, his reputation is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. As TheTelegraph’s Will Heaven noted in an excellent piece earlier this week, “in hindsight, Americans view George W. Bush’s presidency as a golden age.” The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that George W. Bush’s approval rating was now at a 7-year high, the highest level since the beginning of his second term:

Almost as many people (47 percent) approve of how Bush handled his eight years in office as disapprove (50 percent), according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. That’s the highest approval rating for Bush since December 2005. Bush’s approval dipped all the way to 23 percent in Post-ABC polling in October 2008 and was just 33 percent in January 2009 when he left office. (His approval rating was below 40 percent for 26 consecutive months before his term ended, the longest streak of sub-40 presidential ratings since polling began in the 1930s.)

And, what’s fascinating is that it’s not just Bush’s overall job approval numbers but the intensity measures. In the new Post-ABC poll, 34 percent say they “strongly” disapprove of the job he did while in office; that’s the lowest strong disapprove number for Bush since January 2005.

A new poll published yesterday by Fox News largely confirms the Post’s findings, showing that Bush’s approval rating of 49 percent is nearly as high as that of President Obama, at 52 percent. That’s significantly below Bill Clinton’s 71 percent approval, but up 24 percent since October 2008, towards the end of his presidency.

What accounts for the rise in President Bush’s popularity? Undoubtedly most American presidents benefit from a boost to their standing after they leave office. As Gallup polling shows, six of the last nine US presidents have seen their popularity rise since leaving office, the most notable exceptions being Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Bush’s “retrospective job approval rating” of 47 percent is still lower than his average while in office (49 percent), but his retrospective rating is likely to rise if current polls continue their upward trend. In addition, the president’s reluctance to get involved in present-day politics may well have reduced the intensity of negative feeling towards him among some sections of voters.

I suspect, however, that many Americans are warming to Bush because they genuinely miss his down to earth leadership style, in marked contrast to the largely aloof and imperial-style presidency in Washington today. I had the opportunity to hear George W. Bush speak on several occasions at the White House and other venues in Washington when he was president. His speeches and statements were usually focused on core principles, and lacking in the kind of arrogance and bitterness that infuses a lot of the current president’s remarks today.

Bush never urged his supporters to seek “revenge” against political adversaries, and did not use his White House pulpit as a permanent campaign podium, or as a platform to constantly bash his political opponents. In an age of cynical, and at times brutal, political divide, George W. Bush was a remarkably humble figure, who projected a warmth and optimism that is largely absent in the Washington of 2013. At the end of the day, President Bush will be remembered as an honorable man who dedicated much of his later life to serving his country, with no airs and graces, and a keen dedication to the principles of freedom. As Bush himself noted in his address today:

In democracy, the purpose of public office is not to fulfill personal ambition. Elected officials must serve a cause greater than themselves. The political winds blow left and right, polls rise and fall, supporters come and go. But in the end leaders are defined by the convictions that they hold.